Automatic air-coupling



E. L. HORTON.

AUTOMATIC AIR COUPLING.

APPLICATION man JAN. 14. I920.

Pdtented Aug. 2, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

ATTORNEY 4 E. L. HORTON.

AUTOMATIC AIR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 14, I920.

Patented Aug. 2, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

[N VEN TOR HaRro/v BY 4Q F M EUGENL' L A TTORNE Y E. L. HORTON.

AUTOMATIC AIR COUPLING. 1 APPLICATION FILED JAN- 14. 1920. 1,386,338. Patented Aug. 2,1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

INVENTOR EUGENE L HORN/V UNITED STATES EUGENE L. HORTON, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC AIR-COUPLING.

Application filed January 14, 1920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE L. HORTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Air-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a train coupler.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide automatic means whereby the air, steam, and electric conduits of railway cars may be simultaneously and automatically coupled, coincident with the coupling of the car draw bars. The present invention contemplates the use of a pair of coupling heads carrying the terminals of the various conduits of a car and provided with interlocking means whereby they may be secured in abutting relation to each other, and communication established between the respective conduits without possibility of leakage, even though the cars negotiate a sharp curve along the right of way.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in side elevation, showing the draw bar connections between two railway cars and further disclosing the automatic couplings with which the present invention is concerned.

Fig.2 is a view in plan, illustrating the adjacent ends of two railway cars and showing the details of construction of the couplers. Y

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view in plan showing the coupler heads with which the present invention is concerned.

Fig. 4 is a view in end elevation showing the arrangement of one of the heads.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in side elevation showing a simplified form of the present invention as used upon freight trains.

Fig. '6 is a View in'end elevation showing the automatic coupler head.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view in plan showing the manner in which the air valve may be operated from either side of the train.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 10 and 11 indicate two railway cars adapted to be connected to each other by means of draw bars 13. These draw bars are fitted with complementary coupling Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 2, 1921.

Serial No. 351,453.

heads 1 1, having coupling pins 15 by which the heads may be secured together. These pins may be raised and lowered by levers 16 mounted upon the bolsters of the cars. it will be understood that the coupling head construction may be of any desired design, and that the present invention is more particularly concerned with means whereby the train lines may be automatically connected. This is accomplished by the use of automatic coupling heads 18 and 19 which are positioned beneath the main draw bar heads 14: as clearly shown in Fig. 1. These coupling heads are supported upon hangers 20 which have vertical shanks extending upwardly through brackets 21 on the railway cars. The upper ends of the shanks are fitted with nuts 22. Interposed between the bracket-s 21 and the nuts are compression springs 3 by which the hangers 20 are yieldably supported. In View of the fact that the automatic coupling heads are intended to swing laterally, the lower supporting portion 24 of each of hangers 20 is formed on an arc while lying fiat in a horizontal plane. Radius rods 20 are pivoted to the hangers 20 near their lower ends and also pivoted to the bodv of the car so that the hangers will be steady in their movement and will thus provide a stable support for the coupling heads.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 4, it will be seen that the automatic coupler head 20 is rectangular in section and that it is formed with an air signal opening 25, air break opening 26, and a steam opening 27.

The openings are fitted with packing gaskets 30 which are seated within counter bores in the vertical end face of each of the automatic coupler heads and project therefrom so that when in register, they will forcibly engage each other and prevent -1eak age of the fluid passing from one head to the other. The opening'25 is in communication with an air line signal 31, while the opening 26 is in communication with an air break line 32. A steam hose is led to the opening 27. Interposed at a point in the air line and the steam line are two-way valves 34 and 35, respectively. These valves are incorporated within a T-valve casing construction so that it will be possible to position hose connections upon the extensions of said T so that the cars may be used, even though the cars to which they are coupled are not equipped with the automatic shank 37 which extends through brackets 38 and 39, and may reCi] )rocat-e horizontally as caused by relative changes in position between the two cars The shanks are pivoted to the coupling heads by vertical pivot pins 40 which allow horizontal swinging move ment from the axis of the pins while insuring that horizontal reciprocation of the shanks 37 may take place. A helical spring 41; is disposed around each of the shanks 37 and interposed between the bearing: 38

and a. pivot extension on the" rear of the head, thus permitting yieldable movement of the head relative tothe shank and insuringthat the head will be restored to its original position after the spring has been compressed, either due to longitudinal movevment of the head or swinging movement thereof.

In order that the gaskets 30 upon opposing coupling heads will register and pro- 1' duce a tight joint, guide fingers 43 are sooured to the ends of the adjacent coupling heads and project forwardly from the end face thereof as clearly shown in Fig. 3. These fingers are slightly curved. so that they will have no trouble in finding a seat along the sidesot' the heads. This seat is here. shown as in the form of a groove 44, one

of which is secured in one sideface of each of the heads, the grooves upon the two heads being disposed upon opposite sides of the heads in relation to each other. Centering arms 45 are secured upon the same sides of the heads as the grooves 44;, and are flared outwardly in order to catch the ends of the, guide. fingers and swing the heads so that the guide fingers will properly seat at the opposite sides of the heads, and at the same time cause the; abutting ends of the two heads to properly register witheach other and form continuations'of the conduits across the heads and through the gaskets.

Lock openings 46 are formed through the arms l'S' at points near their base and are intended to receive the projecting ends of the lock fingerstii, so that the fingers will be frictionaljly held and the two abutting coupler heads held rigidly together until the frictional engagement is broken, due to ther.-

1 the complete disengagement of one car from Referring to Figs. 5, 6 and 7, inclusive, an adaptation of the present invention for use on "freight cars will be seen, In this instance the air coupling heads 18 and 19 are only formed with the opening 26 which is connected withan air brake hose 32. This head is formed in the manner previously described, having the extending portions 48 and 45 adapted to interlock and to hold the faces of the two heads in intimate contact with each other. A T valve 50 is interposed at a. point in the train line and is equipped with a separatelength of hose 51 which may be used when the'car connected therewith is not equipped with the automatic air coupling. 'This will insure that all cars will be properly coupled even though all oftheirolh ing stock has not been overhauled, embodying. the present invention. A. cut off valve 52 is shown'inthe end of the train line and controlling the flow of airto the hose 32. This valve may be operatedfrom either side the train by means of the shifting mechanism shown in Fig..'7. This mechanism.

comprises a shifting rod 52 sliding-through bearings and 54: as operated by handles 55. A bell crank lever 56 is pivoted beneath the cross beam of the car'and' is pivi otably connected by one arm tothe'shift rod as indicated at 57 The opposite end of this leveris fitted with a connecting rod 58 secured to the lever 59 of thefvalveistem. In this manner the valve'stem 'may beleasily rotated by the manipulation or either of the handles 55. T he'operation of the simplified form of the invention is identical with that of the more complicated form as shownin Figs; 1 to l, inclusive and which operation will be hereinafter set forth.

In 'operation oi the present invention, the

device is assembled as particularly shown in Fig. 1, and whenftw'o carsjare coupled to gether by means of the draw bars 13' and'the heads 18 and 19 will be drawn together as these last named heads move toward. each guide arms will properly adjust tliefingers and cause the ends. of the heads to co nclde couplinglheads 14, the automatic coupling After the two heads continue to move to positions against. each other, the

and come to a locked position. In the event v that one of the cars is more heavily loaded than the other, it will be seen that the two 7 coupled heads 18 and 19 will be outof horizontal alinement. This willcbe taken care of, however, by means of thelfi'ngers 43 which have. tapered. upper and lower sides as shown in Fig. 4, and which sideswill co.- operate. with the upper and lower faces, of the grooves l to bring thecoupling heads in proper alinernent with each other even though they, themselves, are out of horizontal alinement'. As the coupling heads are swung, the hangers will be moved up and down as permitted by the springs 23. After the two heads have been locked together due partially to the locking of the draw bars, and partially to the frictional engagement with the arms 45, the two cars may have con siderable lateral movement in relation to each other. It will further be evident that longitudinal movement may be had-' by the compression and expansion of springs 41.

It will thus be seen that the coupling structure here disclosed, while simple in its construction, has provided automatic means whereby the various train lines may be instantly connected and maintained in their joint condition without danger of leakage, even though the cars assume various positions in relation to each other due to the curve of the trackway or differences in the design and loading of the cars, andit will be further observed that the construction embodies a mechanism which is not liable to require repair and will be positive in operation at all times.

While I have shown the preferred form of my invention as now known to me, it will be vunderstood that various changes in the combination, construction, and arrangement of parts may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure y Letters Patent is:

1. In an air and like coupling of the character-described, fiat abutting heads with connecting fluid passages, hangers suspended from the car and having the lower ends lying horizontally, curved into arcs and serving to support the coupling heads and allow for horizontal adjustment, and spring means in conjunction with said hangers to permit vertical adjustment of the heads while supported thereby.

2. In an air coupling of the character described, a pair of horizontally disposed coupling head members having fiat abutting ends in a plane substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axes of said heads with connecting fluid passages, hangers by which the coupling heads are supported, a tapered guide finger formed on each head, said fingers being outwardly flared and formed upon opposite sides of the heads, and said coupling heads having complemental grooves for receiving the guide fingers, and means associated with said grooves whereby the fingers will be trictionally held when the abutting ends of said coupling heads are brought together. 7

3. In an air coupling of the character described, a pair of horizontally disposed coupling head members having flat abutting ends with connecting fluid passages, hangers by which the coupling heads are supported, a tapered guide finger formed on each head, said fingers being outwardly flared and formed upon opposite sides of the heads, and said coupling heads having complemental grooves for receiving the guide fingers, a guide arm extending outwardly over each groove and each arm having an opening adjacent the inner end of the groove with which it is associated, adapted to receive and frictionally hold the outer end of a guide finger when the abutting ends of said coupling heads are brought together.

4. An air coupler comprising in combination with a draw bar coupling head, a sec ondary coupling head disposed beneath said first-named head, means for permitting said secondary head to have universal movement and mounted upon the bottom of a railway car, a plurality of terminal openings in the vertical end face of saidhead, a guide finger projected from one side of said face, a guide groove recessed in the opposite side of the head from the finger, a guide arm extending outwardly over said groove for receiving a guide finger of a complementary head, and means for interlocking said fingers and arms upon abutting heads whereby they will be held in fixed relation to each other.

5. An automatic air coupler, comprising a draw bar, a coupling head carried thereby, a hanger yieldably supported from the railway car and forming a horizontal loop beneath the draw bar head, a secondary coupling head supported by said looped portion, a plurality of vertically alined conduit terminals formed in the vertical end face of said secondary head, and in communication with separate train lines, means for yieldably supporting said head for universal swinging movement and longitudinal movement, and combined guide and lockin means carried upon said second head, whereby the disposition of the draw bar heads in locked relation to each other will cause the end faces of complementary secondary heads to be locked in abutting relation to each other and various conduit terminals held in register.

6. An automatic air coupler, comprising in combination with a draw bar coupling head of a secondary coupling head disposed beneath said draw bar, an are shaped horizontal f'ame member hanging beneath the draw bar head and yieldably supporting the secondary coupling head, a horizontal shank connected to the coupling head, bearings for said shank whereby it may have longitudinal reciprocal movement, means for yieldably maintaining the shank and secondary coupling head in longitudinal alinement, a guide finger projecting from one side of the secondary coupling head face and having upper and lower converging faces, a guide groove formed upon the opposite side of the secondary coupling head and receiving a complementary guide finger and whereby abutting secondary coupling heads may be brought into alinement, guide arms extending outwardly andover said grooves and a locking-recess near the base of said arms for receiving the end of a complementary guide finger and locking the abutting coupler heads in alined relation to each other, and a plurality of vertically alined conduit terminals formed in the end faces'of the sec in ondary coupling heads and adapted to be held in intimate contact with each other when theheads are locked together.

EUGENE L. HORTON Witnesses:

JOHN H. HERRING,

W. HEALEY. I 

